The fall of Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, was officially announced, drawing international attention. Recently, a letter purportedly written by Zhang Youxia to Xi Jinping has been circulating widely online. The letter allegedly describes a senior general’s “political testament” and exposes “top-level infighting,” which has sparked heated debate. However, Yaita Akio, executive director of the Indo-Pacific Strategic Institute, pointed out that the letter “does not stand up to scrutiny” and is obviously a patched-together text using a famous name to speak.
The 'Open Letter from Zhang Youxia to Xi Jinping' is more than 4,000 words long. Its content claims that Zhang broke with Xi, mainly over the “Chairman Responsibility System of the Military Commission” and whether to use force against Taiwan. The letter states he opposes Xi Jinping’s “paternalistic” way of controlling the military and does not support attacking Taiwan while the Russia-Ukraine war is ongoing.
On Saturday (31st) night, Yaita Akio posted on Facebook: “Recently, an alleged open letter signed by ‘Zhang Youxia to Xi Jinping’ has been circulating on the internet, spreading quickly in the Chinese-speaking world. Unfortunately, when quoting this letter, some media seem to have ignored the most basic verification and judgment, causing such an obviously rough text to be mistaken as ‘insider material.’ In fact, a simple analysis reveals that this letter does not withstand scrutiny.”
“Firstly, the biggest issue with the letter is that it contains no real ‘insider perspective.’ Everything mentioned in the letter are topics that have been repeatedly discussed in overseas Chinese communities in recent years—from internal Party strife, military purges, to topics like Xu Qinxian and June Fourth, all of which are outside speculations. If this were truly written by someone of long-standing high rank with close personal ties to Xi Jinping, the contents couldn’t be so superficial. To put it bluntly, any long-term observer of Chinese politics could write such an article; it simply does not sound like the ‘genuine words of the person involved.’”
“Secondly, the full text is logically confused and incoherent. If Zhang Youxia had indeed written a ‘political testament’ open letter at this time, he would definitely have a clear purpose—either to clear his name, or to make a statement to fellow party members, the international community, or to posterity. But this letter, running thousands of words, is completely unfocused. At one moment it dwells on the concept of the ‘Chairman Responsibility System,’ then suddenly berates Deng Xiaoping for no reason, and then abruptly jumps to ‘should not attack Taiwan.’ There is no logical flow; it is neither a plea of innocence, nor a political declaration, much less a historical account—a level unworthy of an experienced political-military figure.”
He went on to say: “The most absurd bit is the passage about Taiwan. Zhang Youxia is a professional soldier who has come off the battlefield and spent his life studying how to fight wars; Liu Yazhou, on the other hand, is a military writer who needs to interview professional commanders to write his pieces. Yet the letter says Zhang Youxia, after listening to Liu Yazhou's analysis, was suddenly shocked into a cold sweat about the difficulties of attacking Taiwan. This is tantamount to admitting his own military expertise has long been inferior to that of a writer, which makes no logical sense.”
“Lastly, the letter has one fatal flaw. The line, ‘After all, we are good brothers who grew up in the same compound,’ proves it’s a forgery. Zhang Youxia’s father, Zhang Zongxun, was deputy chief of staff of the PLA in the 1950s, so Zhang Youxia should have grown up in the General Staff’s compound in Xuanwu District. Xi Jinping’s father, Xi Zhongxun, left the military after 1949 to serve as Party Propaganda Minister, with living quarters assigned in Naluoguxiang, Yu’er Hutong, Dongcheng District. So Xi Jinping did not grow up in a military compound, but in a hutong, as documented in memoirs and news reports. Xi himself visited Yu’er Hutong in 2014. While writing related books, I’ve visited these places many times and am well aware of the facts.”
Finally, Yaita Akio said, “Taken together, from the source of information, logical structure, and basic facts, the so-called ‘open letter’ does not stand up. It’s more like a patched-together text using someone’s name, rather than the account of the real person. For such content, rational judgment and avoiding further spread may be the most responsible approach for readers.”